Managing risk
Managing risk is not a complicated procedure. Simply look at what could injure people or make them ill, then decide how you are going to manage that risk. It's easy to start the process of putting together a new health and safety policy for your business.
Involve your employees.
These are the people most at risk of having accidents, or experiencing ill health and they also know the most about the jobs that they do. So they are in the best position to help managers develop safe systems of work that are effective in practice. An actively engaged workforce is one of the foundations that supports good health and safety. It ensures that all those involved with a work activity, both managers and workers, are participating in assessing risks.
Assessing risk is the key to effective health and safety in your workplace. This means nothing more than a careful examination of what, in your work, could cause harm to people, so that you can weigh up whether you have taken enough precautions or should do more to prevent harm.
If you have a small business and you're confident you understand what's involved, you can do the assessment yourself. If you are a larger firm, you could ask a responsible employee, safety representative, or safety officer to help you.
Five Steps to Assess Risk:
- STEP 1: Look for the hazards – the things that could cause harm
- STEP 2: Decide who might be harmed and how;
- STEP 3: Evaluate the risks and decide whether the existing precautions are adequate, or whether more should be done
- STEP 4: Write down your findings so you have a record that you can check back against;
- STEP 5: Regularly review your assessment and revise it if necessary
For more information on assessing risks in the workplace, read our Five Steps to Risk Assessment online leaflet.
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